Rockley Photonics Holdings Limited announced a 4-Kelvin performance demonstration with its monolithic silicon photonics electro-absorption modulator technology that is key to the development of next-generation cryogenic interconnect technology. This advancement is intended to enable ultra-sensitive image detection and sensing devices to view and capture images more clearly and at longer distances, as well as in low-light situations and enables these devices to have a significantly reduced size and weight. UC Santa Barbara's project utilizes Rockley's powerful technology and will potentially advance detection and sensing capabilities in devices for a range of applications that require ultra-sensitive sensors.

Possible applications include infrared and hyperspectral imagers and cameras that are used for night and day surveillance, aerial search and rescue, environmental remote sensing and chemical detection, ultra-sensitive neutrino detectors in particle accelerators, as well as interconnects for quantum computers. The cryogenic modulation experiment showed that the strong modulation of Rockley's silicon photonics electro-absorption modulator at room temperature is maintained when it is cooled down to 4 Kelvin (-269.15 Celsius, -452.47 Fahrenheit) with almost no performance degradation. At these low temperatures, signal noise in camera detector arrays is reduced dramatically, resulting in increased sensitivity, and enabling devices or cameras to view clearer images and the ability to see longer distances and in low light.

The ability of Rockley's platform to maintain good performance and capture data at this very low temperature means that Rockley's photonic integrated circuit technology can be used to make these ultra-sensitive detection devices smaller in size and weight, have a lower cost, and operate with lower power consumption.